Turkey: 36 suspects arrested over FETO links

By Kubra Chohan

ANKARA (AA) - At least 36 suspects, including on-duty soldiers and police officers, were arrested across Turkey on Saturday over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year’s defeated coup, according to a security source.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

In eastern Erzurum province, nine suspects, including seven on-duty soldiers, were arrested as part of a probe launched by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

In southern Adana province, a married couple and a person responsible for the organization’s local magazine were caught for using FETO’s encrypted smart phone messaging application, ByLock.

The app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies, allowing them to identify tens of thousands of FETO supporters within the context of last year's defeated coup attempt.

The couple reportedly visited the U.S. a month before the Dec. 17-25 incidents, a local name for an ongoing investigation against a 2013 plot by FETO.

In addition, in a joint operation conducted by southern Osmaniye’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in three provinces, eight people were arrested over links to FETO.

Another 15 suspects including police, teachers, and nurses were also arrested in southern Mersin province.

One on-duty soldier was arrested in northwestern Balikesir province.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.